C&B Italia Furniture
In 1966, Piero Ambrogio Busnelli cofounded C&B Italia, a modern Italian furniture manufacturer, with Cesare Cassina in northern Milan. The Camaleonda sofa — a darling of the design world — is an iconic C&B piece created in 1970 by Milanese architect and designer Mario Bellini, which became a hit after its star turn in the 1972 exhibition “Italy: The New Domestic Landscape” at New York’s Museum of Modern Art. Soon afterward, however, the company split, with Cassina founding his own eponymous firm and Busnelli taking leadership of what became B&B Italia.
From the outset at C&B, Busnelli and Cassina set about recruiting the most talented modernists in Italy to conceive of creative furnishings manufactured in modern ways. As B&B, for decades, Busnelli cultivated relationships with the world’s best design talent, resulting in furniture pieces that remain legendary today — be they Gaetano Pesce’s outwardly curvaceous Up seating (made for C&B, reintroduced by B&B) or tables from industrial designer Paolo Piva, each more sophisticated than the next in their geometrically complex steel-tube bases. B&B Italia earned four prestigious Compasso d’Oro design awards: in 1979 for Bellini’s Le Bambole, in 1984 for the Sisamo wardrobe system by Studio Kairos, in 1987 for Antonio Citterio’s modular Sity sofa and, in 1989, the first award given to a manufacturing company itself.
Other notable names who designed for B&B Italia over the course of its 54-year history include Patricia Urquiola, Naoto Fukasawa, Zaha Hadid, Ettore Sottsass and Vincent Van Duysen, to name a very few. And while these names bring star power to the B&B brand, in many cases, it was B&B Italia who helped usher in their celebrity, fostering a wave of design talent on the world stage. Now, B&B Italia manages a contract division and outdoor section as well as its residential arm, and it also controls production for Maxalto, a brand spun out with furniture designs by Antonio Citterio.
At 1stDibs, find vintage C&B Italia furniture including sofas, armchairs, tables and more.
1970s Italian Modern Vintage C&B Italia Furniture
Suede, Fabric
1970s Italian Vintage C&B Italia Furniture
Fabric, Wood
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage C&B Italia Furniture
Suede
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage C&B Italia Furniture
Plastic
1970s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Vintage C&B Italia Furniture
Plastic
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage C&B Italia Furniture
Leather
1970s European Mid-Century Modern Vintage C&B Italia Furniture
Chenille, Jute
1970s European Mid-Century Modern Vintage C&B Italia Furniture
Chenille, Jute
1970s European Mid-Century Modern Vintage C&B Italia Furniture
Velvet
1970s Italian Vintage C&B Italia Furniture
Leather
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage C&B Italia Furniture
Leather
1970s Italian Modern Vintage C&B Italia Furniture
Plastic
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage C&B Italia Furniture
Leather
1970s Italian Modern Vintage C&B Italia Furniture
Plastic
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage C&B Italia Furniture
Leather, Fiberglass, Foam
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage C&B Italia Furniture
Leather
1970s Italian Vintage C&B Italia Furniture
Metal
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage C&B Italia Furniture
Fiberglass
1970s European Mid-Century Modern Vintage C&B Italia Furniture
Bouclé
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage C&B Italia Furniture
Fabric, Wood
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage C&B Italia Furniture
Fiberglass, Leather
1970s Italian Space Age Vintage C&B Italia Furniture
Metal
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage C&B Italia Furniture
Aluminum, Steel
1970s Italian Space Age Vintage C&B Italia Furniture
Metal
1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage C&B Italia Furniture
Bronze
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage C&B Italia Furniture
Cord, Fiberglass
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage C&B Italia Furniture
Metal
1970s Italian Vintage C&B Italia Furniture
Walnut
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage C&B Italia Furniture
Fabric, Cotton
1970s Italian Space Age Vintage C&B Italia Furniture
Chenille, Velvet, Foam
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage C&B Italia Furniture
Velvet
Late 20th Century Italian C&B Italia Furniture
Leather, Foam
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage C&B Italia Furniture
Plastic
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage C&B Italia Furniture
Metal
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage C&B Italia Furniture
Bouclé
1970s Italian Vintage C&B Italia Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Velvet
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage C&B Italia Furniture
Metal
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage C&B Italia Furniture
Travertine
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage C&B Italia Furniture
Cord, Fiberglass
Late 20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern C&B Italia Furniture
Metal
1970s Italian Modern Vintage C&B Italia Furniture
Fabric, Velvet
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage C&B Italia Furniture
Plastic
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage C&B Italia Furniture
Velvet
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage C&B Italia Furniture
Leather, Foam
1970s Italian Vintage C&B Italia Furniture
Steel
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage C&B Italia Furniture
Plastic
1970s Vintage C&B Italia Furniture
Velvet
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage C&B Italia Furniture
Metal
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage C&B Italia Furniture
Metal
1970s Italian Vintage C&B Italia Furniture
Upholstery, Plastic
C&b Italia furniture for sale on 1stDibs.
Creators Similar to C&B Italia
- Where is B&B Italia made?1 Answer1stDibs ExpertMarch 22, 2022B&B Italia makes their furniture at a company-owned factory in Novedrate, Como, Italy. The brand's headquarters are also in the city. To ensure quality, skilled artisans produce each piece by hand. On 1stDibs, shop a variety of B&B Italia furniture.